Let Us Rest a While
by goldfish87
Summary: Picks up right where the movie ends. Where do Beau and Chiles go from here? Reviews are encouraging and much appreciated. Rated M just in case.
1. Chapter 1

1

"So... what now?" She asked the question that lingered in the air between them, hovering above their beer glasses amidst the low hum of the conversation in the bar. The duet was over; the dream came true. Yet, here he was before her, eyes staring straight into the mirror behind the bartender, without a word to spare. Hot and cold, that was the way he always was with her. "Beau..."

"Just, just give it a minute, Chiles."

He gestured to the bartender for another, but she pulled his arm back down. "You can have mine. I don't feel much like celebratin' anymore." He sighed and took a swig, tasting the bitter local brew against his tongue. "I know I shouldn't have come... that I waited too long and I have no right to just show up. This past year, it's been-" He chuckled. "Please don't laugh at me right now."

He shook his head. "You just never know when to shut up, do you?"

She felt her face grow red with anger and she nearly sputtered with indignity. "How dare-"

And he pulled her in for a kiss, deep and hungry, with a large hand behind her head, the brim of his hat pushed against her forehead. "Really, be quiet," he murmured against her lips. "You're ruinin' the moment."

* * *

The crisp night air welcomed them as they walked to his truck. "Give me the keys." Her palm laid flat before him, but all he could do was stare at the way the soft yellow light spread on her hair, highlighting the chestnut hue. "You're in no condition to drive, mister."

"Don't be stupid." He smiled at the way the light bounced off her eyes when she tilted her chin up. She always used to look up through her eyelashes instead, shy and unsure. Something was different about her. Something changed in the last year.

"You don't even know where I'm staying."

"There's only one hotel in town."

"Maybe I'm staying at some guy's house." His lazy smile drooped a little at one corner and his quiet eyes stared her down. "Give me the keys, Beau."

* * *

He felt the world fall behind him as the wall he was leaning against opened up and gravity took its hold. "Beau!" He heard a faint squeak. She was here. She was still here. He cupped her cheek as he stumbled out of the bench seat, two unstable feet on the ground. His kiss was thorough as he allowed his weight to fall against her with her back to the side of his truck bed, his tongue sliding across the velvet of her mouth.

She pushed herself off and sent the two tumbling several steps out of the parking lot. He chased her in the dark, catching her and stealing a kiss every few yards. Up the stairs. Down the hallway.

Room 268. He felt the imprint of the number in his palm as he pressed against the door, attached to her at the lips while she tried to put the key in the lock with trembling hands and love drunk eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

2

They were back in bleached white sheets with the blinding sun shining through the curtains in some cheap hotel in the middle of nowhere. Except now, this middle-of-nowhere town was his home. He counted her even breaths and his fingertips ghosted over the soft skin covering her shoulder where the light found a spot to linger. Her strands of hair felt soft to his touch without any of the gel or hairspray or whatever it was that she used to put in it. When she snuggled further into him, he let his stubble drag across her forehead before leaving a kiss. The contented sigh dragged her bent knee across him, a perfect white thigh draped carelessly across his stomach.

"You lost weight," she murmured into his collarbone. "You eatin' right?"

"I've been just fine." _Without you._ And he had survived her leaving him in the end. They couldn't all have happy endings. "How many boys have you loved after me?"

She pressed her ear closer to his heartbeat, her whole body curled into his. He traced his index finger from the dip at her waist, up her side, back to that spot on her shoulder again. "None." He felt her whisper on his skin.

"Chiles..."

"None," she said with even more conviction. She sat up with a sheet clutched to her chest and turned back to him. "And I don't care if you have. And if you still have someone then... well just tell me."

As strong of a front as she put up, the tears misted in her eyes before he could utter a word. Some things never changed. He leaned forward, rubbed his thumbs across her closed eyes, and leaned his forehead against hers. "There's no one else." He pulled away as she was pivoting in. "But there could have been. There should have been. I'm still... I was ready for there to be someone else and I still might be. A lot can happen in a year."

"I know," she whispered as she looked away. Suddenly, it was like she was gone again, her eyes farther away than she ever was. "So let me ask you again. What now?"

"I have an extra room in my apartment. You can stay there for a while but I think... well I think we should just try to be friends for now. See what else - who else is out there. Right now, the way I am, I don't think I'm right for you. So yea, let's just be friends. It'll be something new."

She let out a hollow laugh, one he had never heard from her. "Yea. Friends."

* * *

"I don't think friends do this, Beau." Her denim covered hips ground down on him, a knee on each side digging into the rough material of the folded up futon. He leaned away from the back of the seat and towards her, his hands on her waist and his lips instinctively reaching up to hers. Her hair tickled his cheek as they stayed a hairs breath away. He could taste the chocolate cake in the air between their lips, just hanging beneath hooded eyes. One petite hand was tangled in his collar while the other brushed his neglected facial hair.

"We can just be really, really good friends." His baritone dragged her mouth to his.

They would make a solid effort. They swore.


	3. Chapter 3

3

"That's sweet of you, but I think I'm all set."

Beau kept his head down to conceal his smile as she turned away another guy who wanted to buy her a drink. He strolled casually up to her just as she got ready to blow him off too. "You better be careful, or you'll get a reputation."

"What reputation?"

"Little Miss Heartache." She rolled her eyes at him as he signaled the bartender for two beers. "You're at a bar, Chiles, and you're over 21. You know you're allowed to have a drink, right?"

"You're just sayin' that because the last time I drank with you, you got me down to my underwear." The memory of that drunken night, cut far too short, hit them in the heart. She sipped on her iced tea and clapped when with the crowd for the last chord of the featured band's debut. "I can't have you takin' advantage of me in public."

"Who, me? I wasn't wearing much at the end either." He threw a few bills down on the bar and surveyed the crowd. "Not bad for rookie's night. How did your day go?"

She straightened her back, a rare and smug grin on her face. "You're lookin' at the new receptionist for Cavick Hill Retirement Home." She put on her professional smile. "Welcome to Cavick Hill, where you will have the time of your life." Beau chortled into his beer. "Don't laugh, I didn't write it. Besides, I think that old people are sweet."

"You know, when you say things like that, you're askin' for it, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The oldest pick-up line in the book. 'Not as sweet as you, lil' lady.'" He tipped the brim of his hat to her and a giggle bubbled out of her lips.

"Lil' lady? Really? That's the best you can do?"

"You're working in a retirement home. Best get used to it." He took off his denim jacket and threw it for her to catch. "All right, I'm up next... Babydoll." He waved casually without looking back as he walked toward the stage, but he could still hear her laugh. When she laughed like that, genuine without the beauty-queen plastic wrap she liked to cover herself with... well, there was nothing like it.

* * *

"What are you doin' over there?" Beau yelled from his bed after checking the clock on his oak nightstand. "It's seven in the morning on a weekend! If there is one rule in this house, it's that we sleep in on the weekends."

"Then go back to sleep and leave me alone!" She yelled back. He tried to take her advice, his body was begging him too. Ever since Chiles moved in to the room next door a few days ago, it was near impossible to get a good night sleep knowing that...well, knowing she was right there. He could hardly process the very real fact that Chiles Stanton was back in his life again, let alone so close.

But then that nagging voice in that back of his mind who couldn't enjoy the sweet smile she threw him whenever she said 'goodnight' would taunt him, asking just how long she would stick around for this time? There were some things in his life he wasn't proud of, and maybe losing her was the punishment. His mother always taught him about balance. For every bad thing you do, God has a way of catching up to you.

Despite his need for rest, the rustling next door continued and in the quiet morning, the noises were deafening. He tossed his comforter aside and slipped into his slippers, grabbed a worn-in robe over his wifebeater and shorts, and shuffled over to her room lazily. Her door was opened just a crack and he could see her slender back to him, her hair pinned up and her head bent over something. He knocked quietly.

Startled by the sudden intrusion of noise, Chiles sat up, her bare shoulders clenched up. "Ow! Crap!" He swung the door open and watched her throw his jacket to the side of the bed and hold onto her index finger. At the sight of the smallest droplet of blood, he walked quickly and sat beside her on the bed. "You made me prick myself."

He grabbed her wounded hand with one hand and leaned over to pick up the dropped needle and thread and placed it on the nightstand. Without thought, he brought the fingertip to his mouth. It was what his mother taught him when he was younger. He grabbed a tissue from the box on the windowsill and wiped off the microscopic wound. She looked at her now sloppily bandaged hand with such reverie that he was almost embarrassed. "I could have taken care of myself," she said quietly. "But thank you."

"What were you doing anyway?"

"Well, last night, I noticed a button coming loose on your jacket." She fingered the loose button gently without looking at him. It reminded him of when she used to get so nervous she'd freeze up on stage. Or when she used to ask him if he still liked her. "I know I shouldn't just touch your things... It's just... you've done so much for me. It's the least that I could do..."

"Well, you didn't have to-"

"I know," she said quickly, looking up at him. "But I wanted to. It's something I'm good at. My mom used to..." she trailed off and her eyes caught that far away look again.

"Your mom used to what?"

Even though she smiled softly and waved it off with an "it's nothing," Beau knew there was even more to Chiles than he already knew. He had a thought briefly, but disregarded it as soon as it came to mind. It's a shame, really, considering how close to the truth he was.

This was the first time anyone had ever really taken care of her.


	4. Chapter 4

4

He watched her through the windows that lined the front of the home as she poured over the documents painstakingly before handing them to a middle-aged woman with a kind face whom he guessed was her supervisor. He watched her sigh in relief, the tension nearly melting from her shoulders, when the woman smiled encouragingly at her and placed the papers in a file cabinet behind the desk. Chiles always was so desperate for everyone's approval.

She threw the straps of her tote bag over her shoulder and bid the woman goodbye before walking out the door with a great smile on her face. He couldn't help but feel his own mood lift as well.

It was impossible to miss him, with his truck and hat in place, and it took all her will power not to run towards him. "What are you doing here?" Her cheeks hurt from how big she was smiling at the sight of him.

"I figured your first full day of work here deserved some celebration." He shrugged his shoulders. "What are friends for?"

"Oh thank you. You didn't have to do anything." She climbed onto the seat with a bit of help from him. The stride in the step up was always a bit difficult for her short frame. He made sure she was buckled in before he put the gear in drive. "So where are we headed?"

"You'll see."

* * *

"Oh, this is beautiful, Beau." It really wasn't much. Then again, it never took much with her. "Really, you shouldn't have gone through all this trouble."

"It really isn't that much. Stop making a big deal of it." Even as he tried to get her to sit still and eat the take out dinner he had ordered from his local haunt, he couldn't help but admire her as she took in the sunset over the field. The light bathed her outline in a soft, peach light while the breeze blew through her hair. This was a song just itching at the tips of his fingers, on the strings of his guitar.

Finally, she turned her attention back to him at the little picnic table on the front porch. "You really didn't have to do all this. Thank you." Her wide eyes and smile were addictive. The shadow of her dimples made his head light and dizzy. It was getting more and more difficult to listen to his common sense and not rush into the nothing that they were.

"If by 'all this' you mean borrow my friend's porch with a view and getting two dinners in a paper bag, then you can stop saying thank you and just dig in. Tell me what happened at work. Did any old geezers try to ask you out yet? Anyone sneak in some booze?" Her mouth moved and he knew he was absorbing every word that she spoke, but he couldn't help but get distracted by the way her eyes lit up when she talked about the people she met. Even on her first day, she managed to know a few of the charges there and it was obvious that she delighted in taking care of them.

Under all the make up and the insecurity, she really did have a good heart.

The hum of her soft voice trailed off and his mind finally processed that she had stopped talking and even eating all together, but instead pushed her salad around with her fork quietly. "What's wrong? Do you not like the food?" He began to panic when she lifted her head slightly and he could see a gleam of unshed tears in her eyes. "We could never order from there again. Lesson learned." Somehow he was always making women cry when all he wanted to do was...

She shook her head quietly and a drop ran down the side of her cheek. She wiped it away quickly with the back of her hand. "No, no, this is all so lovely. It's just that..."

"Just what?" He rested his hand on the table, careful not to push her too far but just to let her know he was there.

"No one's ever been this kind to me before," she whispered quietly before covering his hand with hers. "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize..."

The quiet was suffocating. This was the turning point. He could reach out and tell her that it was all right, that they could be together now. But then he meant what he said that night. There really could have been someone else and... well, he knew that it shouldn't be so easy. Nothing ever worth having really was. The whole debacle with Kelly Cantor just proved it. More than that, it proved that maybe he wasn't the man who could really be there for Chiles. He couldn't screw up with her the way he did with Kelly. He knew something was wrong that night, he knew-

"Oh, I'm sorry. Look at what a mess I am... and after you went through all this trouble to do something nice for me. Just, just forget I said anything, okay? Let's eat."

And she had decided for him. The moment passed and the rest of the evening was spent in pleasant, if not careful and slightly tense, conversation.

* * *

A/N: I don't do these often, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's been reading and leaving comments. They definitely keep me on track and help me figure out if the story/character ring true or not. Also, I wanted to give a special thank to those of you who have spread the word about this story. I know that not a lot of people are checking the Country Strong Fanfiction page, so I really appreciate the extra exposure! I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story.


	5. Chapter 5

5

She wasn't sure how long this could go on. Chiles was never this kind of girl. Sure, she flirted sometimes, although half the time she's just being friendly. But she was never the kind of girl who, well... who could just sleep with someone without having it _mean _something. And with Beau, it definitely meant something.

It had been two weeks since she started her new job, which she loved, and in those two weeks, she had managed to end up in his bed half the time. They would be watching TV after a long day and maybe he'd reach for the chips at the same time she did or she'd turn her head to him during a sad movie or their heads might knock together when they're laughing. Either way, their bodies knew each other. His fingers entwined themselves around hers. The tears, the smiles would die down when they catch each other's eye and their lips would relax and breathe into each other. She would be light as a feather when he lifted her from the couch or the dining room table and his foot would kick the bedroom door shut behind him.

Once all was said and done, there was no easy way to leave. There was a moment of calm, when they'd lay against each other, limb tangled in limb. Then her hair would slide across his skin as she sat up, a sheet held against her chest, wrapped around her waist, and shuffled back to her room.

Yes, their bodies knew each other, as did their hearts when their beats synchronized in their union. But their minds always scratched at the gentle glass of bliss that haze over, and memories and insecurities came flooding through the cracks.

When they walk beside each other from the truck to the bar, their arms swung in tandem and Chiles would just stare while she bit her lip. Regardless of whether they had been together the night before or had gotten lost in each other just before they left the house, she always hesitated in taking his hand. She didn't know what she would do if Beau pulled away.

Even now, as she stared ahead at his oak dresser, her bare back to him as she hugged her knees, she wouldn't be able to stand having him leave the bed before she had a chance to do so first. But how would she ever know what he would do if she always left?

She felt the rough pads of his fingers reach forward and ghost over her back as he stayed reclined against his pillow. "What're you thinkin' 'bout?" he drawled, sleepy-eyed and content. Without a response that she could give, she turned her head to the side to acknowledge that she had at least heard him. The mattress shifted and his stubble scratched her skin when he placed a kiss on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"I don't know," she whispered. She kept her eyes away from his in an attempt to remain focus, but somehow, he always dragged her back to him. "What are we doin', Beau? Really? If we can't be together, then why are we... together?"

He sighed and his breath hit her ear. "Because as much as I want to, as much as I know I should, I can't resist you." He kissed the side of her neck and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm no good for you, right now, Chiles, and if you walk out that door, I won't hold it against you. Maybe we'll end up together, maybe we won't, but right now, while you're here and not with anyone else, I can't keep my hands off you. It's not fair, I know, but-"

She kissed him, and he fell back on his back, taking her with him. She decided that she wouldn't push him anymore. Another word, and he may have broken her heart.


	6. Chapter 6

6

He smiled gently as she jogged out the door to meet him. This was becoming routine, him picking her up from work. It was just until she saved up enough to get her own car, she pleaded, but they both enjoyed the time together. They'd talk about their day or just sing to the radio. Her voice was still as vibrant as he remembered. He kicked himself off the side of the truck. "Ready to go?"

He waited for her to catch her breath. "I tried to call you but you'd already left. I have to stay late tonight to help with inventory. I'm sorry you made the trip out here for nothin'. I'll try to sneak you some of that peach pie you like so much."

"It's all right. When are you gonna be done? I'll pick you up then."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. Rick's already offered to give me a ride."

The name sounded alarm bells in his head. "Rick?"

"Yea. Well, Dr. Williams, but we work together so he said it's okay for me to call him that. He's one of the people who's been so nice to me. You remember, I've been telling you about him." Of course, when she was telling him about the helpful Dr. Williams, Beau had always imagined a kindly old doctor. When she turned back to the glass windows and waved, however, a young man who looked about his age waved back.

"Isn't that the guy from rookie night?"

"Yea! I told him you'd recognize him. He's such a big fan of yours, it'll make his day. Well, those syringe boxes won't count themselves. I'll see you in a few hours."

He stayed until she disappeared from sight. The way the good doctor looked at her left a knot in his stomach. He wasn't quite certain that he wasn't the one the doc was a fan of.

* * *

Three days. He avoided her for three days and it seemed that finally, she would not be ignored. "I have the best news in the world, Beau Hutton. You are about to get down on your knees and thank me."

"Oh yea?"

"I've found the perfect girl for you." Her dimpled smile was frozen. One of her pageant smiles.

Did she have brown hair and big brown eyes?

* * *

She was on the floor, reading a magazine when he came back not thirty minutes after he was supposed to meet up with her friend. He dropped his keys on the kitchen table and took off his jacket. "You're home early. How was the date-"

His lips smashed into hers and his hand pulled her in even closer as it nested in her hair. There was only an inch between them when he pulled away and his eyes roamed over her face. Before she could even ask what had gotten into him, he lifted her into the air, wrapped her legs around his waist, and made his way into what, by now, felt like their bedroom.

He was probably an asshole, but it only took him five minutes with the other girl for him to realize she wasn't what he wanted at all.


	7. Chapter 7

7

"Did I hurt you?" It was the first time she'd stayed the night since the first night and she was hardly to blame. Last night had been... intense, he must admit. He was even afraid he had been a bit too much when he saw her massage her wrist where he held her. "I didn't mean-"

"I know," she murmured against his chest. "Don't worry about it. If you really trying to hurt me, I'd know. I know what that looks like. Besides, the women in my family are tough."

"You mean, your school teacher mom? Yea, I'm sure 8 year olds are real difficult to deal with."

She pulled away from him, her head down, and his brow furrowed at her reaction. She had never been so withdrawn before, except...

Except when he mentioned parents. "Your parents weren't really school teachers, were they?"

There were tears in her eyes when she looked back up at him and shook her head. "No," she whispered.

He always thought she was fragile, from the way she would freeze on stage to the moments when he'd catch her staring at absolutely nothing. But now, after she laid everything out about her mom being back in jail and her father being the very worst kind of man, he figured she must be the strongest person he knew to still be standing. When she finished, she sighed as though a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders. "Do you still like me?"

He cupped the right side of her face with his hand and she leaned into it, eyes closed. "Yea, I still like you."

Her lips were soft against his and he felt her eyelashes flutter against his cheek. He peeled the blanket from her as he laid her back down. From the first night they ever spent together, there was something about her that felt... ethereal. She spoke with the same down home twang that he was used to and had her imperfections, but there were moments when he was afraid to touch her, like he would somehow ruin her or get her dirty. The curve of her waist, the flare of her hips, the silk of her unmarred skin... even after everything, he still felt like that but now, knowing that her mother had once wrapped her hands around that slender neck in a drunken rage, she felt more precious than ever.

Before he entered her, he rested on his elbow just above her and watched her closed eyes flutter open in confusion. "Beau?"

"Will you be mine?" He watched her eyes, always gentle and loving as they ran across his face, and he could feel the way the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiled at her look of wonder. "I know now that even if I could have all the pretty girls out there, all I want is you, Chiles Stanton." He leaned his forehead down against hers. "I'm sorry I've been so stupid."

"Hey," she whispered against his lips as she wrapped a hand to the back of his head. "Don't call my man stupid."

And the smile, the smile that only she could coax out of him simply by walking into a bar, so painfully and reflexively spread across his face that he could hardly stop to kiss her.

Somehow he managed.


	8. Chapter 8

8

"Oh no," Chiles groaned around her straw as the crowd clapped.

"What's wrong with you?" He wrapped his arm around her slender shoulders. It had been the most blissful week of his life. All the love songs made sense now, every gaudy, soppy word.

"I'd completely forgotten about Rick." His spine stiffened. Perhaps he spoke too soon. "He's going to be so disappointed now that we're together." To be perfectly honest, the doctor had hardly crossed Beau's mind. Patti, the girl whom Chiles had dubbed as "the perfect girl," turned out to be perfectly gracious about the way he acted. But now, his rival was on stage and Chiles was pouting those strawberry lips of hers and he couldn't help but worry.

"What, are you ready to run off into the sunset with the doc?" He joked, his eyes moving between the floor to his beer.

"What are you talking about? He'd rather run off with you." The bartender did not appreciate Beau spitting his beer onto his shirt, but let it slide due to the crowd he attracted on Saturday nights. "I thought you knew that Rick was a... well, you know." She lowered her voice. "I just never wanted to spread it in case he wasn't out yet."

Beau laughed off his surprise. "Well, you can tell him he has as much of a chance now as he did before you became my girlfriend."

She smiled, the wide eyed, dimple showing smile of hers. "Say it again."

"Well, my girlfriend must be deaf because-"

Her lips never let him finish his sentence.

No, nothing could be better than this.

* * *

"So you never told me how being the new Carrie Underwood was like."

Her hands stilled on the plate she was drying. She seemed to shake herself out of it before replying quietly, "it's not what I thought it would be." Her hair fell in her face as she remained concentrated on the dishes.

"I told you you were better than all that." He handed her the last pot and turned to lean his hip on the counter. He watched her scrub at the metal furiously and continue to avoid his gaze so he ducked down for a moment and softly said, "Hey..."

His voice seemed to shock her back to reality and she realized what she had been doing. "Well, the important thing is that I'm here now, right?" She gave him a quick peck on the lips and disappeared into the bathroom.

Beau was never a genius, but it didn't take one to realize there was something wrong. The only question was whether or not he should keep poking at the sleeping bear.


	9. Chapter 9

9

_If I die young,_  
_Bury me in satin,_  
_Lay me down on a bed of roses_  
_Sink me in the river, at dawn_  
_Send me away with the words of a love song_

Her soft voice pulled Beau out of a lazy dream and his hand found cold sheets when he reached over for her. Two clumsy strums and he finally woke himself enough to realize that the music was coming from the living room. He winced slightly at a sour chord but it was quickly remedied when she adjusted her hands around the neck of the guitar. She made such a pretty picture, with her hair falling over her bare shoulders, a plain white sundress flaring around her knees as she sat in the center of their sunbathed room with his acoustic resting on her thigh. There was an undeniable cuteness about her, from the way her brow furrowed and her lips pursed in concentration to the way her little toes curled into the rug in frustration. Even a cynic like him couldn't help but chuckle.

Chiles slammed her hands on the string to stop the latest sour note. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you? I was just... well... Here, sorry." She ducked her head to untangle herself from his guitar strap, but was stopped before she could shove the instrument back.

"I wanna hear you play." He sat across from her, his back against the foot of the couch. She bit her lip as she does when she's embarrassed. "Come on, play me somethin'. Whatever you were doin' before."

She played a few chords again and stumbled on a few transitions before giving up completely. "It's no good. Let me practice some more and get better first."

"No, no, you're fine. Here." He crawled behind her and pressed himself right up against her back, his large hands covered hers on the body of the guitar. He leaned over her shoulder to look at the sheet music before her. He pressed on the strings himself, but took her hand in his and strummed together.

They played through the song twice, her voice sweeping sweetly across the room. When he was satisfied with her progress, he put the guitar down beside them and wrapped his arms around her waist, letting her lean back into with a sigh. He reached over to the sheet music book and finally had a look. "What is this anyway? 'Simple Popular Country Songs Vol. 5'? Is this what the kids listen to these days?"

She traced a pattern on his knee with the tip of her index finger. "It was a present. It's supposed to be good for beginners."

Her touch, light as a feather, tickled his skin and he caught her hand in his and brought it to his lips for a kiss. He interlaced his fingers in hers and felt each slender finger curl into his empty spaces. "You've been at this for a while. I never even noticed you getting your calluses before this."

She swat his chest lightly with her other hand. "A girl doesn't want to hear about her calluses." She paused for a full minute, debating whether or not she should continue. "I started learning after you left. James said that it'd make me more marketable; he was the one who gave me the book. He told me that's how Kelly started too." He had hurt when he lost his ex-lover, sometimes-mentor, but the wistful tone in her voice made him realize that Chiles had also lost her life-long idol. "He used to make me practice every night. At least three hours, usually more. My fingers used to hurt so much and I kept puttin' Vaseline on it hopin' the burning would go away. And then I'd have to go into the studio and take all these classes. Dance classes, acting classes, singing classes, speech classes. He said you needed to be all of these things these days to really make it big."

He murmured, his voice in deep in her ear. "He's wrong, you know. You have all the talent you need. People just want to hear good music. They wanna hear you sing."

She shook her head, her curls brushed like against his arms and shoulders. "Naw, he was right. Or at least he thought he was right. He was just tryin' to do right by me, tryin' to do what's best. After the funeral, he just threw himself into his work."

"Not much changed there."

"He was kind to me. Tough, but... kind. He didn't mean for things to become too much and even after pouring all this money into it, he let me go when I said I wanted to come here. With you." She pushed herself off his chest and rested a hand there before resting the front of her body on him so that she could look at what she came back for. "He pushed me and my fingers hurt, but it was my dream. Unlike everyone else who just saw me as some dumb beauty queen they could make money off of, he really just wanted to help."

"Well, he always _did _like you. I mean, even when we were on tour."

She squinted her eyes at the way his gaze avoided hers. "Wait, was that why- Beau Hutton! Were you jealous?"

"I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"The day after our pageant party, is that why you were so mean to me? Because you thought-"

"I didn't know, all right? I just thought- I mean you always hear about big shot guys like him takin' advantage of young girls and it was late at night- Oh stop smilin' like that!" He couldn't help the grin on his own face as he realized how silly he had been this whole time, to keep seeing something that wasn't even there. He gladly received the kiss as she leaned in to him. She pulled away and sat back on her heels before he could hold her tight in his arms like he wanted to. "I should make you practice some more as punishment for being such a tease."

"Doesn't hurt anymore. Calluses, remember?" She wiggled her long white fingers at him. "I get a little bit stronger..." she began to sing. She jumped on her feet and began to twirl. In the middle of his living room, her white dress reflecting the sunlight, Beau couldn't do anything but watch.


	10. Chapter 10

10

Chiles wheeled Hank into the room, right into the space reserved for him in the circle. For the past few weeks, Hank had been participating in the group activities more often and everyone saw more of him, even if he wasn't the best of company. It was obvious to everyone, even Beau who was visiting inside the home for the first time, that he was sweet on Chiles. Beau hid his smile as he ducked his head, his hat hiding the amusement he found in it all. He should have known she would be able to turn even the nastiest old fart in the joint into putty with just a smile.

"All right, is this everyone?"

Hank raised a shaking, 98 year-old accusing finger at him. "Hey, that ain't Merle!"

"No, sir, I'm not. But I _have_ been listenin' to him since I was a child and I'd love to play something for you." Beau promised her his best behavior today and he would deliver. Also, this old an reminded him of his own grandpa before he passed.

"Son, you're _still_ a child. I have armpit hairs that are older than you." Beau snorted back a laugh. He bet he did. Hank began to bang his fists against the arms of his chair, as strong as he could as he began to chant, "we want Merle! We want Merle! We want Merle!.."

"Oh shut up, Hank!"

"Yea, let the boy sing." Betty and Alice, the resident twins, shouted back. The feisty pair had had quite enough.

"Now, ladies, gentleman," Chiles began in her pageant voice. "No need for any of that now." Beau watched in amazement as the soothing effect took over the entire room and turned the pandemonium down to just the music of her words. "Now, ladies, we don't tell each other to shut up here." She kneeled down beside the wheelchair so that she was level with the old man. "Hank, will you please give Beau a chance? I promise you he's real good and he's a good friend of mine who's come all this way to play for you."

Beau could see the old man's defenses crumbling under her smile and big brown eyes. He decided to give it all a final push. "You know, Hank, Chiles and I used to have this little duo act. If you play your cards right, maybe you can get her to sing for ya."

"Is that right?" Hank turned his squinting eyes back at Chiles. "Do you sing?"

"Sometimes."

"Well, get on with it then, boy. You're young but some of us don't have all that much time, you know."

"Oh, Hank," Chiles began. "You know I don't like it when you start talkin' like that. You still have plenty of years ahead of you."

"What? No, I was talking about Mikey over there. He's so old, he probably can't even hear me."

Mikey, Beau learned, was not one to back down. Even if the counter was something simple and classic, like a "Like your mama, Hank. I'm old like your mama" interspersed with a cough.

The noise began again and before anyone got hurt, Beau played his first notes.

_The first thing I remember knowing_  
_Was a lonesome whistle blowing_  
_And a young 'un's dream of growing up to ride_  
_On a freight train leaving town..._

Everyone stopped. Fists were lowered, mouths closed. The familiar melody reached their ears. By the time the chorus came around, most of them were singing along.

_And I turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole._  
_No-one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried._  
_Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied._  
_That leaves only me to blame 'cos Mama tried._

* * *

"Oh he _is_ good!" Alice said as she grabbed her walking stick to waited for her sister to get her walker.

"The kid's okay. Don't have a heart attack over it," Hank managed before he was wheeled out by another nurse.

"Oh don't mind him. He's just cranky and missin' his prune juice. You two are really somethin' though. Like Johnny and June."

"Oh, they're just like Johnny and June..." Betty trailed off as they slowly rounded the corner out of the room.

After seeing them all out, Chiles turned back to him, a big smile on her face. "Thank you for doing this. I know Hank can be a little... temperamental, but they all really enjoyed it. And it meant a lot to me so... thanks." She sealed her gratitude with a deep kiss, her arms wound around his neck.

"Well, I had to come here and check out the competition. These guys get to see you everyday."

"And?"

"I think I better keep an eye out for that Hank fella."


	11. Chapter 11

11

That Saturday, there were rumors that the legendary James Cantor, the man who made star careers, had rolled into their little town. The knot in Beau's stomach tightened when he saw Chiles turn white as a sheet. He reached across the wooden table at their booth and covered her hand in his. "Are you all right?"

He watched her shake off her dismay and put on her smile number three, the one she used when she was nervous. "Yea,of course. Why wouldn't I be all right? I'm sure he's just visiting and wanted to see how I'm doin' and all that. "

"You just look a little pale..."

"I just don't feel all that well. Must have been something I ate. Do you mind if we take this to go and just go home. I wanna just lie on the couch with you and have a hot mug of tea."

He wanted to remind her that she hadn't eaten since that salad at lunch but thought better of it. Instead, he just gave her hand a light squeeze before going up to the counter and changing their order. His shoulders were rigid as he leaned against the edge of the wooden bar. Everything had been going so well and the last thing he wanted was to have anything bring it to a full stop.

Chiles was quiet during the entire ride home and went straight to bed with a quickly murmured, "I'm exhausted." It made Beau lose his appetite too, the worrying and the paranoia. He put the takeout in the refrigerator and got ready for bed himself, knowing there was no way he could get any writing down tonight. He headed to her room, where he had seen her disappear and was about to slip under the covers when he heard her small voice in the dark. "Beau, I-I really don't feel well. Do you mind if I just... I just think I need to be alone tonight." She was huddled, her knees hugged to her chest and the last thing he wanted to do was leave her like that. But the little fists her hands made, so tight her knuckles were white, made him want to grant her every request.

"Yea, all right." He tucked her in and tried to ignore the way she flinched when he kissed her forehead good night. "I'm in the next room if you need anything."

He had one foot out the door when he heard her small voice. "Beau?" He turned back, hoping she'd change her mind. "I'm sorry I'm- I mean, I'm sorry I don't feel well."

He sighed. He could almost feel her hugging herself tighter. "I'm sorry too. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning," he said, knowing full well this was much bigger than what she had let on.

He closed the door just as she whispered to the darkness. "Maybe..."

* * *

The next day, after church, they find him waiting for them on the front step of the house. He was just as Beau had remembered him. He lost a bit of weight, his usual black suit hung off his frame, and he had lost a bit of that fight in him, but he was still the man who showed up at the rehab center one day and turned his whole world on its head.

"James," Chiles was the first one to speak. Since last night, she had been quiet. Their breakfast was spent in unnerving silence and her whole spirit just seemed to have drifted off. She stepped forward and gave the man in black a quick hug before pulling back, her arms wrapped around herself and fingering the light fabric of her sunday dress. "How've you been?"

"I'm all right. Now let me have a look at you." He lightly held her by the forearms at arm's length. "You look good, Chiles. Healthy. Are you happy here?" She nodded mutely, wisps of her hair escaped her bun. "And Beau, how are you doing? Taking care of this one, I hope."

Beau was at once cautious at the sound of his voice. There was James Cantor, the slick businessman he had come to loathe. He had seen glimpses of the man whom Kelly fell in love with years ago, the man who really just wanted to help his wife and thought he knew best, but it was still difficult to reconcile the two. Kelly used to say he reminded her a lot of a younger James and he had taken it to heart. He would never let Chiles get to be the way Kelly was. For all his teasing, he was grateful and glad that Chiles never drank at the bar or even curse at him when she was angry.

"I'm doin' all right, James. What brings you all the way out here?"

"Straight to the point. I always liked that about you." He still had his hands on Chiles, who was now looking distractedly in every direction to avoid the looming confrontation between the two men. James' ability to reduce her to the scared church mouse she used to be angered him.

"Cut the bull shit, James. What are you here for?"

"Maybe you should invite me in. Manners-"

"James, tell me what you're here for before I throw you off my property."

James sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which flopped lifeless across his forehead. "Well, Beau. If you must know, I'm here to take Chiles back with me to Nashville."


End file.
